REGION — The global weather data for the month of February is in, and according to the National Climatic Data Center, February was an extraordinarily cold month in the northeast section of the United States. The region’s average temperature of 13.5° F was 12.7° F below normal. This made it the second-coldest February on record behind 1934, which had an average temperature of 12° F.

Sullivan County Manager David Fanslau issued the following statement: "I have sent a letter to New York State officials requesting that a team of State Emergency management officials be sent to Sullivan County to assess damage from Hurricane Sandy. A preliminary damage assessment has indicated that there is a need for both individual and public assistance as a result of Hurricane Sandy. I have requested that Governor Cuomo include Sullivan County in any disaster declaration that is made in New York State associated with impacts and damage from Hurricane Sandy. Read more

Sullivan County Manager David Fanslau issued the following statement: "I have sent a letter to New York State officials requesting that a team of State Emergency management officials be sent to Sullivan County to assess damage from Hurricane Sandy. A preliminary damage assessment has indicated that there is a need for both individual and public assistance as a result of Hurricane Sandy. I have requested that Governor Cuomo include Sullivan County in any disaster declaration that is made in New York State associated with impacts and damage from Hurricane Sandy. Read more

The village of Monticello is advising parents to keep their children home today and do not go out trick or treating. Sullivan county remains under a state of emergency. There are numerous power lines down, poor lighting conditions due to power outages and dangerous tree limbs. The current conditions are unsafe and the threat to the safety of children and will only increase during the evening hours.

Both the federal and state governments have made disaster declarations with respect to the effects of Hurricane Sandy in the State of New York. Beginning on October 28, 2012, federal aid may be made available to New York to supplement state and local recovery assistance in the areas affected by Sandy. Official notification and specific details are pending at this moment. Read more

Divers found the body of Jessica Daniels, 31, of Honesdale in her car in a pond along State Road 296. According to the Pennsylvania Highway Patrol, sometime early in the morning of Sunday, October 28, Daniels drove her 2009 Honda Civic along South Smith Road through a stop sign. She travelled through the intersection, up an embankment and into the pond.

Her body was discovered by divers at about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, and the Wayne County coroner pronounced her dead at the scene. Read more

Academy Award winning director and actor Robert Redford hopes that more people will turn more of their attention to one of the most contentious environmental issues of our time – hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Fracking is the process of injecting millions of gallons of chemically laced fluids into underground rock formations to release natural gas or oil. This summer he taped a series of ads on the issue. Read more

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 19, NY — Republican Representative Chris Gibson’s large 16-point lead in September, 52% to 36%, has now become a narrow five-point lead, 48% to 43%, over Democratic challenger, Julian Schreibman, according to a new Siena College Research Institute poll of likely voters released on October Read more

A Monticello man has been arrested on rape charges. Michael Burnett, 31, was arrested on October 26 after the alleged victim alerted police about the incident. According to a press release, the victim had recently become acquainted with Burnett, and asked him for a ride to residence on Liberty Street. Burnett allegedly drove into a parking lot where he choked the victim before allegedly assaulting her. Read more

PENNSYLVANIA & NEW JERSEY — The New Jersey Sierra Club joined several local environmental and citizen groups and filed a challenge in federal court of the National Park Service’s (NPS) approval of the Susquehanna-Roseland Transmission line.
The two companies that are constructing the line are PPL Corporation (PPL) in Pennsylvania and Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSEG) in New Jersey. Read more

REGION — Scientists have been predicting for years that as our world heats up, we can expect more intense weather phenomena more frequently. So can we blame climate change for Hurricane Sandy? Read more

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 100, NY — Go to Gary Linton’s website and click on the “About Gary” link, and the first sentence to appear is, “Born and raised as a registered Republican in Warwick, New York, I graduated from Orange County Community College with an AAS Degree in Social Science.” Read more

When she’s not providing care for the three rescued poodles who live with Jennifer Maurizzio and her husband, Joe, one can often track Jennifer down at the Narrowsburg Ecumenical Food Pantry where she helps others in her role as president. But following Hurricane Sandy’s visit to the region, the couple found themselves receiving help after a massive white pine tree nearly cleaved their home in half. Read more

REGION — The remnants of Hurricane Sandy blew through the Upper Delaware Valley on October 29 and 30, snapping trees, downing power lines and wreaking havoc with winds that gusted over 60 miles per hour. By the morning of October 30 in Sullivan County, NY, 24,300 NYSEG customers were without power. In Wayne County, PA, PPL reported that 20,078 were out, and in Pike County, PA, the number was 13,705. Read more

UPPER DELAWARE REGION — With the general election looming, Milanville, PA resident Mort Malkin has taken to the streets to draw attention to the fact that voters have more than two candidates to choose from when casting their vote for the nation’s next president on November 6. Read more

TOWN OF MINISINK, NY — Neighborhood children lined up in front of a prosperous-looking home on a street with acres of manicured lawn and echoed the chants of their parents. “Who are we?” the young girl shouted. “Minisink,” her friends responded. “What do we want?” “Justice.” Read more

The decision that Matthew Brown would have to undergo bariatric surgery to deal with his weight problem had been made. At about 500 pounds, it was decided this was necessary for his health.
But first he and his wife, Donna Reid Brown, decided to go on a anniversary vacation to the British Virgin Islands. Read more

Two candidates—David Leamon and Martha Tully—will vie for one seat on the Lumberland Town Board. The River Reporter posed the same questions to the candidates. Learn their positions in the interviews presented here. Read more

Sullivan County Manager David Fanslau issued the following statement: "Sullivan County remains under a State of Emergency, with several County Roads closed and others minimally passable. The travel restictions that were issued Monday night are hereby rescinded. However, a Travel Advisory is issued to the public that many roads continue to be closed or are minimally passable. Town and Village Roads throughout the County may also be closed. The public must obey all baricades and closed roads. Do not drive around baricaes or travel on a road that is posted as closed. Dangerous and hazardous conditions remain on many roads, with wires and trees down. The traveling publis should use caution when traveling throughout the County. Read more

As the remnants of Hurricane Sandy move away today and winds subside, PPL Electric Utilities is working in full force, assessing damage from the devastating storm and making repairs at hundreds of locations across its service territory. Read more